“It is fun winning your own event,” the 33-year-old world number one told reporters. “No doubt. It is awfully fun to do that.”

Woods headlines a 120-player field at pristine Congressional, site of the 2011 US Open. The four-day event at the 7,255-yard, par 70 course outside Washington, D.C., begins on Thursday.

Among those also entered are newly crowned US Open champion Lucas Glover, 2008 AT&T winner Anthony Kim, world number three Paul Casey and triple major winner Vijay Singh.

World number five Sergio Garcia and three-times major champion Padraig Harrington sit out the AT&T, preparing instead for next month’s British Open by playing the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond next week.

Woods, still searching for his first major of the year, sat out the 2008 AT&T while he recuperated from knee surgery. “Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend last year,” he said. “I was at home watching it on the couch, and it wasn’t a whole lot of fun.”

The 14-times major winner said he was thrilled to have his injury behind him, adding that it “feels good to wake up in the morning and not ache, not want to move out of bed.”

“I went through all of that,” he said. “I don’t want to go through that again. It feels great to be back. What my surgeons and trainers did to get me to this point has been great. “I feel so good getting up and doing things each and every day.

“I’m able to play with (children) Sam and carry Charlie around and do all those different things. I was really struggling with it for a while.”

Woods is expected to be challenged by Kim, who won the AT&T title a year ago in a demonstrative wire-to-wire victory. Kim said the triumph “definitely elevated my confidence.”

The native Californian, seen by many as having as much potential as anyone on the tour, said he will remain patient as he improves his game.